


A Second Herald

by MercurialComet



Series: RWBY: MYRD [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, hahahaha i cant believe, i wrote rwby fanfic in 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:49:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27184081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercurialComet/pseuds/MercurialComet
Summary: What if the v4/v5 train ride had Oscar meet a person who would grow to be a member of the team?
Series: RWBY: MYRD [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984300
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	A Second Herald

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first of a few connected drabbles in which I'm just writing to get some ideas I have out.
> 
> The only big difference here is the OC, who knows Ruby and Qrow. If you can somehow guess who he's based on, brownie points, but I don't think it's quite obvious right now.
> 
> (Edit: As of 10/27/2020, I've changed how Heaven's Sight works, and so the convo between Oscar and Celes is different)

It’s afternoon when the train gets closer to Haven, and Oscar is jolted out of his sleep as the train starts slowing down.

_Do you remember what you need to do?_

Oscar rolled his eyes, looking at the guy in front of him who was still asleep. “Of course I do,” he whispers. “Find some guy named Qrow and ask for my staff back. Although it’s your staff-”

 _Our staff_.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”

The loudspeakers crackled to life. “Approaching, City of Mistral-” The announcement woke up the guy, who groaned and yawned before he spotted Oscar sitting in front of him.

Oscar waved. “Hey.”

“Hey,” the guy’s blue cloak shifted as he stretched his arms, showing a tank top in dark gold with touches of the same dark blue as the cloak, “Did I miss the stop at Haven?”

“Uh, no,” Oscar said, pointing out the window. “We’re at Haven.”

The guy looked out the window quickly, causing the bright sun to bounce across his dark skin. “Nice. Good thing I woke up. Thanks for letting me know…”

“Oscar. Oscar Pine.”

“Celes Gamboge,” Celes said with a smile, getting out of the booth. “Did you put anything up here in the storage area?”

Oscar grabbed the small bag that he brought with him. “No, just this.”

There was a heavy thud as Celes pulled down a duffel bag, letting it drop to the floor quickly. “Huh, weird. Do you have anyone picking you up from the train?”

_Say yes._

“Yeah, I have an uncle here to get me.”

There were a few moments where Oscar made eye contact with Celes and felt pierced by his dark gold eyes. Oscar saw a small flash of confusion cross the young man’s face before it seemed to disappear. “Huh,” Celes hummed, pulling up the bag and putting it over his shoulder, dark golden wings spreading out. “I guess I’ll just walk you to wherever you’re going to then.”

Oscar felt Ozpin’s shock at getting caught in a lie like a thunderbolt through the sky. Then his stomach rumbled.

Celes laughed. “I can get you some food if you want some? There’s a pretty good takeout place nearby that isn't falling for this anti-Faunus wave,” he said, opening up his bag and rifling through it quickly. Oscar could hear a lot of things banging and knocking against each other.

_Ah. Should’ve spotted it earlier. Look at his bag._

Oscar took a closer look at the duffel bag, spotting the emblem on it’s side: two crossed axes with wheat circling them.

_The symbol of Signal Academy. I believe that Celes is mostly trustworthy. You should be safe with him._

That’s somewhat terrifying to think about. Celes lets out a small cheer as he pulls out a wallet and closes the bag. “So?”

Oscar reaches back into his brain to see if Ozpin was confident. The usual somewhat smug feeling was there. “Sure.”

* * *

“So,” Oscar starts after their food arrives at the table, “you’re a Blacksmith?”

“Yeah,” Celes says with a smile. “Not as well trained as a Hunter, but definitely needed to make sure that all of their fancy toys run smoothly.”

Oscar hummed. “That’s pretty cool. Are you still a student, or do you have a license?”

Celes put his fork down as he was chewing and pulled out his wallet, placing a small card on the table.

_Hmm. A Blacksmith would be a valuable ally to have. Try talking to him more._

“Huh, that’s pretty cool.”

“Eh, it’s nothing too big to work with,” Celes mutters, taking a drink. “I’m actually more interested in my specialty than general weapon design.”

“What’s your specialty?”

Celes looks at him across the table. “Are you sure you want to hear it?” he asks. “It’s pretty dry.”

Oscar chuckled. “I lived and worked on a farm my whole life. It can’t be that bad.”

“My specialty is on the Application and Efficiency of Dust and Crystals in General and Specific Combat Purposes,” Celes states, the words practically rolling off the tongue.

“That’s-” Oscar got lost after Celes said Dust. “That’s a lot.”

Celes chuckled. “Yeah. I have to do a whole paper on my travels and what I do that relates to it as a final. Technically I’m on a learner’s permit, but they don’t have a mark for that.”

“Hey, whatever works, right?” Oscar says, and the two of them share a laugh. “So I guess you’re in Mistral to see what you can do here?”

“Right. I need to get to Haven to check in, but I really don’t have to do that for a while.” Celes looked excited. “It gives me some time to sight see, see if anything’s changed since I’ve last been here.”

“That sounds neat,” Oscar says, “I wonder if me and my uncle will get to see you while we’re here.”

Celes pauses as he’s about to put a forkful of food into his mouth, staring at Oscar. “Are-” he puts the fork down and leans back in his seat. “Are you sure you have an uncle here?”

Oscar felt a chill go down his spine. “Did I say uncle? I mean aunt.”

Celes’ eyes narrow. “Are you sure you have an aunt?”

_Oscar-_

Yeah, Oscar knows when something is up, he doesn’t need Ozpin to tell him. “I think I should probably-”

Celes holds his hands up, keeping them in Oscar's sight. “Wait, please," the Blacksmith says. Oscar thinks that he can hear some concern in his voice. "I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Oscar's still halfway standing, staring across the table. “And why should I believe that?”

“I’m concerned about you,” Celes says.

"Why? I have family nearby-"

Celes sighs. "Oscar, I can tell when you're lying."

Fear hits him like a lightning bolt. “What-” Oscar stammers a bit before he tries to refocus, dread sitting in the back of his throat like a bad aftertaste. “How can you tell when I'm lying?”

“It’s my Semblance," Celes answers calmly, a small smile on his face. "It's called Heaven’s Sight. I can tell if something’s an illusion or a lie if I’m looking at it."

That's pretty handy. And the fact that Celes seems so honest right now is really nice.

_Oscar, I do not believe that it's in our best interest-_

“Why are you trying so hard to stay near me?" Oscar asks, slowly starting to sit back down. "And asking about why I’m here?”

“I wake up on a train, and there’s a kid that reminds me of a girl who’s practically my younger sister suddenly sitting there and lying about meeting family here." Celes waves his hands around a bit as he talks, and Oscar is pretty sure that he doesn't realize he's doing it. "I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

A smile creeps across Oscar's face as he takes in the demeanor of the 18-year-old in dark blue and gold. Some part of him feels comforted by the Faunus’ concern, like the concern of his Aunt Colleen when he's hurt. It’s definitely much more thought about him than Ozpin seems to have.

“Alright,” Oscar says, ready to make a decision that would definitely anger the old spirit in his head, “I trust you. I’m here to meet up with some guy named Qrow.”

Celes looks shocked. “Qrow Branwen? That old guy? What’s he doing in Mistral?”

“You know him?”

_Qrow was a professor in Signal-_

“He was my basic combat professor in Signal,” Celes says, smiling now. “Can’t imagine why he would be here instead of there after Beacon fell, but if you’re gonna go see him I might as well go say hi!”

That settled it. Oscar was gonna do his best to keep Celes around as long as possible. “We can go try and find him now, if you want?”

“Sure. I have room for takeout containers in this bag. Do you want anything else?”

* * *

“He’s in a bar!?”

“I didn’t know he’d be in one!” Oscar argues, both of them furiously whispering at each other down the street from where Ozpin told him where Qrow was most likely to be.

“I should’ve expected that, he seemed tipsy in classes-”

_He really has to let that alcoholism of his go-_

“Maybe he’s gotten better over time,” Oscar says, not really sure of how bad it could be. “How strong is the stuff anyway? My aunt on the farm wouldn’t let me get near the stuff.”

“And she’s right not to,” Celes says, calmly pulling his black and braided hair up into a bun. “You’re lucky I look older than I am and that people don’t pay attention to the age on Hunter and Blacksmith licenses.” The Faunus tucked his wings in under his cloak, making it look dark gold on the inside if you barely glanced at it. With a sigh and a stretch, he seemed ready to do whatever he was going to do, pulling out his scroll and clicking a few things before the translucent screen gave off a gunmetal light. “Follow me.”

Oscar follows the man as they walk down the street and into the bar after Celes says that he’ll keep a close eye on him. The inside of the bar is empty, with a sign that says “The bartender is on break! :)” next to a sign that says “No Faunus allowed!”. There’s a man at the bar all alone, and almost immediately Oscar walks up to him.

“Excuse me?”

Qrow looks over his shoulder and makes eye contact with him, before he fully turns to face him. “Y’know, I don’t think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak.”

_Oscar, tell him about the-_

“Shut up, I’m getting there,” Oscar mutters, staring at the floor. When he looks back up, he sees a look of confusion on Celes’ face, and a look of realization on Qrow’s. “Um,” he starts, not really sure how this is supposed to go, “I’m supposed to tell you- I’d like my cane back?”

Qrow drains his drink and stands up. There’s a beat of silence before he hums to himself, muttering, “It’s good to see you again, Oz,” before tossing him a black staff with an ornate silver handle.

Then he sways and stumbles, and nearly falls before Celes catches him. Oscar shares a confused look with the man who’s coherent before the bartender comes back and asks if anyone was going to pay off his tab.

* * *

Yep. This is the place.

Oscar checks the address twice more.

_We have to address your confidence-_

“Please,” the farmhand says, feeling freer to talk to the old professor since Celes is having a difficult time guiding Qrow down the street, balancing the heavy weight of both the Hunter and his own bag, “be quiet for a moment.”

He checks the address again before he knocks. There’s a long quiet before a blond haired guy in armor opens the door, showing two others on the couch. Another long silence, with Celes and Qrow just now reaching the block. The blond guy clears his throat. ”Can I help you?”

“Uh,” Oscar glances down for a moment to try and regain his confidence. “Is there a Ruby Rose here?”

As soon as the question leaves his mouth, it feels like the air turns hostile, with the two people on the couch slowly standing up, as if they were anticipating something. The girl with orange hair and a pink skirt glares at him. “Why?”

Oscar looks to his left. “Well-”

Qrow practically slams into him, and it’s only because of the early glance he got that Oscar is able to brace himself for the impact. “IIIIIII found him!” the drunk man cries, stumbling his way inside as Celes flutters in after him, muttering something about dumb old professors and combat prowess while tipsy.

Oscar pointed at the two of them as Qrow fell onto the couch. “I think her uncle could use some help.”

Qrow explodes into some boisterous laughter, and that seems to infuriate another person in the house, a high pitch voice ranting as footsteps come closer. “What is going on out there?! Can’t a girl”-the girl who was speaking appeared, black hair, red cape, black and red skirt, rose emblem pinned to her shoulder-“read her comics in peace?!”

Qrow burps. She sighs. Oscar can’t help but think that she looks familiar.

“Uncle Qrow,” she says, hand on her forehead, “did you get drunk again?”

“Maybe….?”

Celes popped up from behind the couch, where Qrow had somehow managed to wrestle him to. “He did, Rubes.”

The girl’s eyes went wide, and Oscar noticed how they reflected silver from the light in the room. “Celes? What are you doing here?”

“Blacksmith business,” Celes says with a shrug, before pointing at Oscar, “plus I’m escorting this guy here.”

Everyone in the room turned to face him again, and yep. He was right. Keeping eye contact with Ruby, he took a few steps into the room. “You have… silver eyes.”

Ruby looked back at Ren and Nora (how the hell did he know their names now?!) before she spoke. “Who are you?”

Oscar awkwardly put his hands behind his back. “Well,” he starts, “my name is Oscar Pine-”

“Wait for it-”

“-but you probably know me as Professor Ozpin?”

All four Hunters-in-training gasped at that, and Qrow took the opportunity to sit up and cheer- “I did it!” -before falling onto his face.


End file.
